Bonsai Superstar is the second album from the band Brainiac released on November 21, 1994. It is the first album on which guitarist John Schmersal appears, who remained as the band's lead guitarist until their break-up in 1997.[7]
| Bonsai Superstar | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 21, 1994 | |||
| Studio | Plantain, Brooklyn, New York City | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 33:44 | |||
| Label | Grass Records | |||
| Producer | Eli Janney | |||
| Brainiac chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [3] |
| Kerrang! | [4] |
| MusicHound Rock | [5] |
| Trouser Press | (favourable)[6] |
Originally released through Grass Records on LP and CD formats, the album is now out-of-print.[8] Currently, the album's copyright is owned by The Bicycle Music Company after Grass Records merged with Wind-Up Records and subsequently sold the copyrights to the band's music.[7]
Background and recording
editThe album was recorded in Brooklyn, New York with engineering and production duties done by Girls Against Boys bassist Eli Janney. The album was edited at Ward Joe, New York City and was mixed in Brooklyn. Larry Nicki mastered the album in Ardent, Memphis, Tennessee. The track "Meathook Manicure" was specifically recorded in the basement of one of the band member's house. To record the vocals, a cheap bullet microphone was used, which experienced a short out during the recording, resulting in some added feedback noise in the final recording.[7]
The track "You Wrecked My Hair" was the first song by the group to feature contributions by Schmersal. The voice samples on "Fucking With the Altimiter" was taken from a record Taylor found at a store Knoxville, Tennessee. The vocals for the chorus on "Fucking With the Altimiter" were performed in front of a fan, giving them a type of stutter effect.[7]
Reception
editWhile the album received little critical attention since its initial release in 1994, the attention it did end up receiving was very positive. Today Bonsai Superstar is considered as one of the best recordings by the band. In Brain Egan's review for the All Music Guide, he rewarded the album four out of five stars, stating that the album "captures a band that was ahead of their time and still moving forward".[2] Tim Krug (of Oh Condor) referred to the recording as his favorite album of all time;[9] he would later join Brainiac for a series of reunion shows in 2023.[10] Pitchfork Media ranked this album #57 in their Top 100 albums of the 1990s feature.[11]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Hot Metal Doberman's" | 2:47 |
| 2. | "Hands of the Genius" | 2:24 |
| 3. | "Fucking With the Altimiter" | 2:24 |
| 4. | "Radio Apeshot" | 3:22 |
| 5. | "Transmissions After Zero" | 1:36 |
| 6. | "Juicy (On A Cadillac)" | 2:27 |
| 7. | "Flypaper" | 2:36 |
| 8. | "Sexual Frustration" | 3:13 |
| 9. | "To the Baby-Counter" | 2:24 |
| 10. | "You Wrecked My Hair" | 3:17 |
| 11. | "Meathook Manicure" | 1:37 |
| 12. | "Status: Choke" | 3:13 |
| 13. | "Collide" | 2:20 |
| Total length: | 33:44 | |
Personnel
editBrainiac
edit- Tim Taylor (credited as timmytaylor) - vocals
- John Schmersal (credited as Little Greenie) - guitar
- Juan Monasterio (credited as Monostereo and B Chango) - bass
- Tyler Trent (credited as Claire Quilty) - drums
Production
edit- Eli Janney - production, engineering, navigation
- Larry Nicki - mastering
- The Puddles - photography
References
edit- ^ "Brainiac : Hissing Prigs In Static Couture - Treble". August 4, 2008.
- ^ a b Allmusic review
- ^ Larkin, Colin, ed. (1998). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 1. MUZE Inc. p. 709. ISBN 0-333-74134-X.
- ^ Goldstein, Gordon (March 11, 1995). "Albumz". Kerrang!. No. 536. EMAP. p. 43.
- ^ Handyside, Chris (1999). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. pp. 154–155 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ "Brainiac".
- ^ a b c d DuLuca, Leo (June 9, 2016). "The weird, wonderful Brainiac lives on with Bonsai Superstar". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on November 4, 2019. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
- ^ "3RA1N1AC Live Archive Project". Deeperintomovies.net. Retrieved January 17, 2012.
- ^ Anderl, Timothy (July 12, 2012). "Bands On Bands: Tim Krug". ghettoblastermagazine.com. Ghetto Blaster Magazine. Retrieved July 12, 2012.
- ^ DeLuca, Leo (January 17, 2023). "26 Years After Its Singer's Sudden Death, Brainiac (Briefly) Returns". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 17, 2023. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
- ^ Staff, Pitchfork (November 17, 2003). "Staff Lists: Top 100 Albums of the 1990s | Features". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on April 28, 2015. Retrieved January 17, 2012.